Mystery of The Worlds
by Grailer
Summary: AU: Murder! Romance! Mystery! and more. Two worlds are thrown together without memory or explanation of the occurrence. Old friends are strangers, and allies are torn apart. In this world everything is new, but can this new world separate friends or will both worlds be destroyed in the process. Slow Burn Dave/Terezi John/Vriska Karkat/Jade
1. Prologue

Author's Notes: Hello All! Just to begin this is my first ever fanfiction. I have never

attempted to publish even though I have had some pretty rad ideas in the past. I hope

you like it. Please R&R your feedback keeps me going. Also, I am in need of a beta reader.

I have trouble writing for certain characters and need some well versed in motivations of

certain characters. With that said, I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Disclaimer: I do not own Homestuck nor any characters associated with Homestuck.

PROLOGUE

Years ago, but not that many, two different universes intertwined in a game orchestrated

by demons of power who desired nothing but total destruction of all of existence. They

almost achieved their goal, reducing everything to post-apocalyptic conditions. However

the destined chosen heroes, a mere group of children young trolls, were successful in

becoming god-like beings, beating the game, and saving their respective worlds. But, as a

result, something happened that could not have been foreseen. Earth and Alternia, the

planets of both races, became fused into Altearthia. The games from which all their

discord began, Sburb and Sgrub, were never introduced and the player's minds were

wiped of everything they had experienced with each other. Everything was reset back to

its original starting point before any adventure the kids or trolls ever had. The chosen had

no memory of their losses and no understanding of the victories they had achieved with

one another. Everything was forgotten and the trolls and kids lived their lives as they

would have done without the game that had led both their worlds into oblivion. The races

of both planets knew not of what had befallen them. The two races, due to prejudice and

a unexplainable hatred, refused to intermingle and willingly separated from each other.

Humanity remained on the surface living in large bright cities, while the trolls claimed the

vastness of the underground living in subterranean hives. Strife rarely occurred between

the two races, whether due to the fact of how powerful the human race had become or

because the troll race had no interest in human lands, no one could say. The trolls hated

the burning light of the sun and in the same manner the humans abhorred the darkness

of the underground. Even though there was peace between the two races, there was no

love. On the surface, the trolls were vilified, considered a mysterious and savage race in

which humans avoided all association. What the trolls thought of the humans, no one

knew. As for the legendary heroes, fate brought them together and fate tore them apart.

Their reward for success resulted in peace of both races, yet deprived them of their god-

like powers and memory of their former associations. However, what is life but the

threads of fate spun upon a revolving spindle.


	2. An ill-timed death

**I do not own Homsetuck.**

**Hope everyone enjoys my story.**

Thunder rolled in the distance as drops of rain began to descend from the heavens upon the darkened city of Skaia. A murky gloom covered the city, it was the kind of night where a biting wet chill sapped away any and all warmth. When babies that were tucked away safely into their cribs cried for no reason. Where dogs barked endlessly at invisible strangers and shadows lurking on nearby walls, the kind of night when unspeakable affairs happened in the cover of darkness.

An unmarked black car pulled up to a cordoned off police block. A lone officer stood by watching the police line, pacing the small entrance of the alleyway. Without warning, the car door of the driver side opened and blond man, who looked to be in his mid-twenties, stepped out while tugging on a red trench coat in an effort to shield himself from the wind. When he looked up to the sky, rain drops fell onto his sun-glasses. While sunglasses at night would seem odd on any other human being, for him they were an extension of his identity, as ordinary for him as a uniform for the everyday police officer. The lone officer approached the fidgeting policem watching over the freshly stretched crime scene tape. The policeman was busy staring up at the sky, his back turned to the approaching stranger, when he was tapped on the shoulder by the newly arrived officer. At that moment thunder boomed across the sky causing the officer to jump, either in fright or from the unexpected touch of the new comer. A flash of the man's gold badge, barely illuminated by the old rusty street lamps, seemed to calm the officer who nodded curtly upon seeing it, and moved aside while lifting the tape for the new arrival.

"Down the alley. You can't miss it, Detective," stammered the officer. His eyes following the man in the red trench coat until he disappeared into the darkness of the alley.

The detective promptly strode down the alley, unhindered by the darkness and the now pouring rain. He came upon a tent at the far end of the alley, which had been hastily erected to cover the body. Outside the tent, under its canopy, stood a stout, heavy-set middle aged police officer, was nervously smoking a cigarette, while looking at his watch. Upon noticing the detective he flicked the cigarette away, straightened himself, and lifted his plastic covered hat in greeting.

"Detective Dave Strider. I should have known they were going to send you. Been hearing some interesting things about you." The officer shot him a grand smile and extended a hand. "Good things." He added seeing Dave raise an eyebrow.

Dave shook the hand while a cold grin slowly spread across his face, "Officer Ace Dick, good to see you again. Heard some interesting things about you, myself. Talk of the amazing 'truffle shuffle' you performed on bar tables during the last holiday party are still circulating around the precinct."

Ace chuckled and smirked, "It's a shame the Spades Murder took up all your time and couldn't be there to see it for yourself. Heard you pulled four all nighters, in a row, to crack that case, and caught the guy with his pants down. Even though there were thought to be more than one killer." Ace cooly regarded the detective before him and added, "The Chief's always favored you, gifting you with the most interesting cases," he said with a smile that didn't reach his eyes.

"It doesn't matter what you heard. I may have solved some big cases and impressed the right people, but maybe/it could be that lady luck just has a thing for me." Dave stated as he came to stand beside the officer. Neither of them looked at each other.

Ace shrugged, "I wouldn't exactly call it luck. I guess I shouldn't be surprised, you always were ahead of everyone in the academy. Personally, I would have cracked that case in half the time with just one evening of 'rigorous interrogation'." He boasted, cracking his knuckles loudly.

Dave resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "Academy is long behind us, and we have more pressing matters at hand. Just show me the stiff, it's late and I want to get this over and done with."

Ace's smile vanished and was replaced with a grimace. "The crime unit has this case pretty much wrapped up with a nice little bow. I don't know why they sent you, but, given the circumstances, I guess it makes sense. There are some peculiar parts in this case, some of which might need your insight. The victim is a, well, let's say it would be better to show you and then getting into the details." Ace said as he moved into the tent, motioning for Dave to follow as he held the flap open for him.

A strange feeling washed over Dave as he entered the tent. He tried to shake it off as he moved closer to the body. There were three other people crammed into the already small tent, all huddled around the body and speaking in hushed tones. They seemed spooked. Dave had never seen a forensics team so shaken around/by a dead body. Most of the team had departed/left, probably to take evidence they had recovered back to their lab to be studied. There was something off about how the forensics team was working, something that he couldn't explain. The tension in the tent was thick enough to cut with a dull knife. Ace approached one of the forensics workers who was taking notes and spoke a few words. The man then motioned for his team to leave, allowing Dave space so he could begin his investigation.

Dave inhaled and took a long look at the body. The body was face down, sprawled out like a rag doll with its legs twisted at odd angles. The pants and black shirt on the body were nearly ripped to shreds, and everything around the body was soaked in an ugly brown liquid. Dave flinched at the sight of two giant bull-like horns, colored like candy corn, protruded from its short black hair. _Horns? Fucking horns_? Dave grabbed a pair of latex gloves from one of his pockets and tugged them on. He lifted the pant legs to reveal prosthetics, made of some kind of carbon-metal composite. _That would explain the odd contortion_, Dave thought, making a mental note. Kneeling near the head, he grasped one of the horns and pulled, just to make sure he knew what he was dealing with, he took a good look at the thing's face and where horns met skull. The horns were real, without a doubt, this thing was a troll. Dave studied the creature's ashen face before carefully placing the head back down. The face was contorted in pain and smeared with more of the sticky brown substance.

"What is this, shit?"

Taking a moment to compose himself after a brief wave of nausea, Dave continued with his investigation. A closer look revealed that the brown liquid was seeping from the head wound and various cuts and scrapes along the troll's face and body. _No, they bleed brown... _

He stood and walked around the body trying to see if there was anything else that seemed odd around the trolls body. Dave stood, hovering over the body, studying every aspect of its form in comparison to the pavement and objects around it. He took out a small notebook and began to take notes of his observations.

At that moment, another roll of thunder was heard and the rain increased in it's intensity. The dull tapping giving way to a louder rhythm on the tent. Through the cracks rain-water dripped in began to dilute the blood that surrounded the body. Yet, there seemed to be no end to the blood seeping from the troll's massive head wound. Clearly, the cause of death was trauma to the head and body from the long fall resulting in a harsh impact with the asphalt. Darker shades of gray covered its face and arms. Stepping back, Dave returned, speechless, to Ace's side.

After a moment of silence Dave finally found his words. "Great. So, what's a fucking troll doing up here? What do we know besides the fact we have a fucking dead troll on our hands?" He asked warily, finally removing his gaze from the body.

"Still think lady luck has the hots for you?" Ace joked, giving Dave a smug smile. "I guess you could call it a one way affair."

"Just answer the question." Dave snapped, feeling his temper rising.

"We don't know why it was up here. Might have been a squatter, probably hiding from something either up here or down there. The body was discovered by a late night drunk. He was assured that he was far too intoxicated to have seen what he'd seen. He was convinced that it was a costume party gone wrong. As for what we do know, as you can see, the troll suffered from trauma to the head as well as multiple abrasions along the arms, torso, and face." Said Ace as he kneeled near the body and began to point out certain areas.

"The troll died on impact after falling from the eleventh floor, at least, that's the coroner's preliminary assessment. Scrapes and the large wound to his head are likely from hitting the fire escape. Even the prosthetic legs are pretty twisted and broken. Rather nasty to deal with. Clean-up crew is having a field day. We've been requested that we get the stiff to the morgue as soon as possible for a full autopsy."

"Any identification on him?" Dave quarried.

Ace shook his head. "Nothing on the body, even if there was I wouldn't know what they would be. They never come up topside, they're not supposed to, and yet here he is. You ought check out the apartment now. The team that worked the site for clues haven't found signs of a struggle. Seems like the fool musta been in a big hurry to die, I've never seen glass spread out so far."

"What do you mean, glass?"

Ace Dick sighed, "Shattered glass from the window the troll jumped out of."

"So you think it committed suicide by running through a glass window?"

Ace shrugged, "Trollicide?"

Dave gave him a hard look as he walked out from under the protection of the canopy, to look up at the gaping window the troll jumped out of. He called back, "I'm done here. Show me the apartment." _It's going to be a long night. _

Ace escorted Dave to the eleventh floor of the apartment complex. On the elevator ride up, Ace filled Dave in on what they thought transpired in the apartment. "The apartment's pretty clean. In terms of living conditions, it's hard to believe that this apartment even belonged to the troll. As I was saying before, we think it might have been a squatter that somehow managed to get a key. The door was locked from the inside and the key was found inside the apartment, on a table. No sign of a struggle or forced entry. The apartment looks to be pre-furnished and spotless, but after a closer look we saw that most of it's covered in dust. There's no electricity, bed, clothes, food cutlery, or even a TV. The people who own the apartment are out of town, and have been for the last five months, according to the office manager. We have their contact information, their current address and phone numbers. They should be easy to get a hold of during the day if you need them." Ace handed Dave a sheet of paper with the written/contact information. "We found some prints and will send them to the lab for analysis." Ace let Dave into the apartment, which was lit by several portable battery operated lamps. "Told you this case was all wrapped up. I guess the boss needed ya to sort out the smaller details. I'd say it was just a suicide. There might be some nitty gritty/minor details, but those are for you to write up nice and neat," Ace huffed.

"Yet, this is the peculiar part," Dave walked straight towards the gaping window and leaned in to inspect the frame further. "Trolls are rumored to be batshit crazy, so why not jump off the a roof? What would possess anyone to commit suicide by running through the glass like a bull on crack? And to even be able to break through glass, no less."

"Didn't you see the size of its horns?"

Dave turned away and glanced at the scene before him. The apartment, like Ace described, was showroom clean. The furnishings seemed only to be for necessity rather than enjoyment. Dave never would have believed anything had taken place here if it wasn't for the shattered window. He continued to walk around the small room, yet his attention was continuously drawn to the window, and the floor length curtains blowing softly in the breeze.

"Another thing. We don't know what the troll was doing in this apartment when it clearly looks like it had fuckall reason to be here."

Ace squirmed, "Fucker's dead on the street. At this point, I couldn't give a rat's ass about a dead troll. Why does the force even need to get involved? It's a waste time and resources trying to figure out this shit. No offense to you, sir, but, that was the reason you were called in." Ace's face tightened to a mocking grin. "I'm just glad my hands will be clean of this case after tonight. No fucking nutcase job for this officer

Ace took a seat on the couch and idly glanced at Dave still staring at the window. "We'll sort out the details, it'll just take time. By 'we' I mean you. Want some solid advice? Just admit that it's suicide and save yourself the headache."

"It may be my job, but you are also expected to do yours." Dave responded, not bothering to keep the annoyance out of his voice. "Until this case is solved I want you/you're at my beck and call. If I say jump you say how high." Dave stated.

Ace, surprised by Dave's audacity, nodded in compliance. Whether he would admit to agreeing to Dave's terms, later, was besides the point.

Scanning the apartment once more, Dave took a minute to take in everything, tuning all other distractions out. Something didn't feel right. Perhaps he'd find out more after questioning the landlord, but in the mean time Ace's words had a ring of truth. Trolls were a rare occurrence above ground, reaching near mythical status. Seeing one for first time, and a dead one at that, disturbed him more than he wanted to admit. It would be easy to just say it was suicide, he mulled that thought over again in his head. Believing he had seen all he needed to for the night, Dave decided it was time to clear his head. Before Ace could even get up from the couch, Dave was in the elevator and down to his car as fast as he could manage. Driving off into the night trying hard not to think about what the heck the chief had gotten him into, and whether he really wanted to be a part of it.


	3. Partners

**I do not own Homestuck. **

**Please read and review.**

Dave opened his eyes to the sight of his ceiling fan slowly turning and sunlight peeking through the slats of the blinds over his window. His mouth tasted like sand, his body ached, and overall he felt like shit, a result of one too many whiskeys last night, he mused. Usually, he'd drink a glass or two to take the edge off after joining a new case, but one hadn't seemed like enough.

Even so, this particular investigation found a way to invade his mind during the quiet time between consciousness and sleep, releasing a cacophony of thoughts, that disrupted his best efforts to shut out the noise. The images of the brown blood haunted him, and he kept seeing the twisted form of the troll when he closed his eyes. Ever since visiting the crime scene, he contemplated why the chief had called him in on this bullshit case. His hand fumbled around his bedside desk, groping for his sunglasses. He sluggishly put them on and stumbled out of bed. Stipping out of his rumpled clothes from the day before, and letting them fall into a pile on the floor. He hoped a shower, at least, would help him take his mind off the case, even if just for a little while.

Fifteen minutes later he was donned in a fresh suit. Straightening his cufflinks, he quickly checked his phone messages. Five messages, all from the chief. _Great way to start the day._ Dave let out a groan and headed out the door without bothering to listen to one.

Work, for Dave, was a three story building in downtown in Skaia City. It was one of the best in the precinct and he knew many officers wished they had his job. Dave had grown used to a busy life, in the early days of his career he had enjoyed some work/life separation, and used to have time for friends and a love life. Now, as a seasoned professional, those boundaries had long since dissolved. Work followed him everywhere, whether he liked it or not, like a lost puppy always begging for his attention. He waved a polite hello to the receptionist and hurried through the large double doors toward the center of the station. Horribly late due to several unforeseen circumstances, he tried to be as unobtrusive as possible as he hastened to his desk, snagging a cup of coffee on the way.

"Strider, my office, now" a firm and deep voice ordered him. Apparently, his tardiness was not going to be overlooked this time.

Dave turned to see the stern face of the Police Chief. _Lady luck, do you even fucking exist_? He quickly dropped his briefcase off at his desk, reluctantly put his coffee mug down, and hightailed it to the chief's office ignoring the curious stares of other officers. "Hey, look, don't be busting my balls." he began prepping his most pitiful sounding excuse. "You see, I was-"

The chief held up his hand to stop the hasty excuse Dave was about to make. "Please, take a seat." The chief motioned for Dave to shut the door and sit down. "Forget about that for now. What have you found out about the ... victim from last night?" The chief seemed uneasy about mentioning the homicide. He rose from his desk and moved to close his window blinds, fumbling slightly with the cord. "This case is probably the most important case that this precinct has ever dealt with. We need conclusive evidence that it was suicide, as Ace Dick states, or-" he hesitated "murder. I need to know, and I needed to know yesterday."

Dave was taken aback at how forward the chief was, to demand an answer the day after the start of a case. Also, to agree with the first assumption a detective makes seemed impulsive.

"Sir, after visiting the crime scene, my initial assumption would be to suggest suicide. There is no hard evidence to suggest otherwise." He continued explaining his observations in line with what Ace had observed. "The coroner is with the body now. I was just about to head to there to retrieve the official report. Nothing to suggest murder, other than the fact that it's a fucking troll above ground." He drummed his fingers on the chief's desk. "Why all the fuss chief?"

The chief sent Dave a cool glare as he returned to his chair and leaned back to regard the detective before him. "The city does not officially recognize or allow any troll to leave the underground, as we call it. For certain diplomatic occasions trolls are allowed above ground. They are monitored and given a human escort for the entire duration of their stay. On even rarer occasions, trolls are permitted to live above ground. Typically, the public has no clue that trolls walk amongst them. This death is something that could cause tension and maybe even hostilities and resentment between our two societies." He added, "This is something that we cannot afford let to happen."

"I understand, sir. However, despite all the weird shit, I still believe this to be suicide. A troll, squatting in an empty apartment above ground, can't take the heat, finds it easier to play superman off his new eleventh story bachelor pad."

The chief sent him a look. "Look, the issue of this dead troll is more serious than you realize. Somehow, whatever system they use for government down there has gotten wind that a troll died on our land. How they found out before I did, is an even better question. Thankfully, they contacted my office directly instead of publicly announcing it. If we don't comply with their demands they've threatened to make this a public dispute.

Dave responded quickly, "Understood, sir."

"I don't think you do," the chief responded flatly, giving him a look. "Due to the severity and political nature of this case you just got yourself a new partner. Your partner arrives tomorrow, you will pick them up and you will work on this case with them. Here is the address and time they will arrive."

Dave glared down at the piece of paper the chief had just given him. "Sir, with all due respect, a partner will just slow me down. Especially one that doesn't know this town like I do. What do you expect them to do? Hang around me looking confused all the time? If this case is as important as you say, I don't have time to show a rookie the ropes."

"Look, my hands are tied in this matter. I want to keep this murder, as well as this investigation, under wraps. And you will not be hosting a rookie, you will have an experienced troll partner who is one of their top dogs down there. I'm sorry to put you through this, you are one of my best detective, but there's nothing to negotiate." The Chief paused, his voice lowered. "We don't want this getting out. The reason you were assigned is because you're the best for the job, you're discreet, and you live a solitary life. The fewer who know about this, the better. If word gets out, then in addition to being up to our asses with Feds, we'll be dealing with the consequences of mass panic from the public. Most people have never seen or even heard of a troll in their life. Get to the bottom of what it was doing above ground, and whether or not it was killed by a human or otherwise ASAP"

Dave's eye twitched and his stomach knotted, but he kept his face blank. "Sir, permission to speak freely. If I'm so great for the job, do I really need to babysit a stick-in-their ass hornhead from underground, who's just going to waste my time trying to tell me what to do?"

The Chief didn't look surprised at Dave's reluctance. "Just be polite, try to work with the investigator and finish this case as quickly as possible. Before you know it, you'll be back on regular cases and the troll will be back where it belongs, underground."

Sighing, Dave pinched his nose, rubbing the area where his sunglasses rested. "Yes sir."

The chief smiled, "Now, that is what I want to hear from my detectives. Remember, you will be picking up your new partner at three a.m., tomorrow morning. Don't be late."

Dave felt like he had just fallen 12 stories, hitting the pavement like a hefty bag filled with vegetable soup as he walked out of the chief's office and eased into his seat in front of a large stack of paperwork on his desk. _This is just what I need, a shit-ton of dumbasses busting my balls over something that'll amount to a suicide. It could be a homicide. _A small voice in the back of his head chimed in. Dave didn't want to think about how long this case would take if it was a murder.

As Dave tried to finish the overdue paperwork he had from his previous cases, his mind kept wandering back to his current case. He had no clue where to begin, but he knew that he wanted off this case as quickly as possible.

Hours later, Dave was standing before the coroner's office. It was conveniently located in the basement of the station. He knocked on the door to the office before slowly opened it. Looking around he didn't see who he was looking for. He approached the welcome counter and began drumming his fingers on the table top, tempted to use the little bell that would announce his presence. Dave waited for a minute before letting himself into the backroom. He spotted the blond haired coroner who was busying herself with some papers. Dave cleared his throat, loudly.

"So nice to see that I am expected."

The blond gave a slight jump at the sound of Dave's voice. "Dave, I was expecting you but, as usual, you can never arrive in a timely fashion." Sending Dave a smug smile, she proceeded to hand him the folder of paperwork she had been sorting just before his arrival.

"Nice to see you too, Rose," Dave smirked taking the folders without looking at them.

Rose kept her smile,"Let's get to business. I believe what you came here for was how the Alternian met his untimely demise, correct?"

"Alternian?"

"The Alternian, you know... the troll" She paused. Waiting for Dave to catch on. "Honestly Dave, I thought you would have already looked through my preliminary report."

Dave flipped through the papers before shutting the folder with a snap. "Ya, I read it already. Details on anatomy of the dead is fine and all for a macabre-loving girl like you, but I just need a lead. I need some idea on how to continue my investigation," he told her.

She breezed by him and motioned for him to follow her down the hall and into a large room. Pulling on her gloves she uncovered the troll's body which lay on its back on an examination table. "First of all, I want to establish that I am not a confident expert on the anatomy of Alternians, but I do have a source who provided reliable histories, and certain medical practices."

"Oh this is new. A who and not a what? My sis conversing with someone who isn't dead? You gotta elaborate." Dave pestered." Do I have to play big brother and interrogate this new someone in your life?"

She ignored him and continued, "As you read in my report, this Alternian died of blunt force trauma which correlates with how he was found and what you suspect is the cause of death." Rose walked around the table and pointed to specific bruises that were located near the skull and shoulders. "But then I noticed something very peculiar about the face. Contorted and frozen in a look of horror. Also, quite a bit of saline, which I imagine is troll sweat, on the surface of the skin. All of his muscles were knotted from tension. So, I took a chance and scanned the brain and found some unusual hemorrhaging. From the autopsy the brain tissue was torn, which I have never seen before and cannot infer the cause. He must have undergone some kind of extreme mental trauma prior to his death."

Dave blankly stared at Rose, "So…?"

Rose's eyebrows shot up at Dave's response, "So...While it does look like suicide to a human, it could be something more," she murmured as she gazed down at the body before her. Drawing her gaze back to Dave who was furrowing his eyebrows, she quarried, "I could do more research, but it will take time. I will try to get back to you when I can, however, I cannot guarantee a specific date." Pulling off her gloves, she motioned for Dave to follow her back to her office. "I need to close now and I have some cleaning up to do as well as a decent amount of paperwork. You can take that report for your case files, is there anything else that you might need?"

"No, just your report." Dave turned to leave and opened the door to the outside.

"Now, just a minute, Dave. Our business dealings may be done, but now I must discuss personal matters with you."

Dave tensed, he had nearly made it out. He paused at the doorway, waiting for her to go on.

"As you may already know, John has been most eager for all of us to get together. And while I have already accepted his invitation, he claims that you remain quite evasive."

"I know, but look I am busy, alright? I have a lot of shit on my plate and I don't always have time to go to every gathering John has, like I'm the Pope of Prospit."

Rose smiled slightly. "Dave, it would be good for you to see John again. Despite what happened… I know that we've discussed the matter, but you have not discussed the issue with John. Which, I believe you need to, to achieve some form of peace. My university education included psychology, remember."

Dave groaned. "I know, I know. Mom was so proud. Look, it's been lovely catching up an all, but I have to book it."

"I understand why you have been isolating yourself, but John does not. Please consider attending his event next Saturday at the Green Cube nightclub. You do not want to widen the gap that is already between you two." she called out after him.

"Fine…tell him I might be able to attend. Later Rose." Exiting the building he checked his watch and noticed that he had a lot of time to kill before picking up his new 'partner.' Even thinking of the word "partner" made him shudder. Getting into his car, he headed towards the closest bar.

Dave slouched into the wooden bench at the train station. He rested his head over the back and let his legs sprawl out before him. Lifting his watch to check the time, he sighed when he saw he was too early for once. Focusing skyward, he resumed studying the lines of the ceiling, glancing every now and then to the sign that showed the train one he was waiting for was on time, or at least that's what the sign claimed.

The station was mostly deserted at this time of night. He'd seen the typical wandering hobo resting outside the station, and the occasional late night rider, but not the large crowds and noises he was so used too. He let his eyes close as he contemplated today's events, but was soon lulled to sleep by the sound of trains.

**He felt heat on his face. Magma surrounded him along with weird crocodile monsters. Large buildings rose up around him. The crocodilian monsters clawed at each other and didn't seem to notice Dave sitting near the edge of the lava. They danced around a large pot of boiling water and paid him no heed. As their jaws snapped down, his head pounded to a rhythmic beat. The pounding in Dave's head became worse when, suddenly, the crocodile monsters turned to him and collectively released a incomprehensible string of chatter.**

With a jolt Dave awoke with a gasp, wincing in pain when his neck let out a large crack. He felt stiff and his jaw ached.

_What the hell was that_? He thought as he slowly repositioned himself on the waiting bench. He brushed back his sleeve up to check the time. Twenty minutes past three_._

_Great. Probably missed the fucking troll._

Explaining how he had to hunt down a troll in this fucking city would be beyond a headache. He remembered Ace's words, and pressed his hand to his forehead and let out a groan.

A burst of unnerving giggles punctuated the still air.

"Oh! Thank Lusus you awoke. I was contemplating whether you were sleeping or if some vile villain had murdered you. In fact, I was just debating how I should deal with whoever did such a dastardly deed to my new comrade," a voice chimed in from his right.

Dave's head whipped around in surprise, causing his neck to give another loud crack from the sudden movement. He then came face to face with the looming presence of a grinning monster, with red eyes and sharp teeth sitting calmly beside him. The troll giggled again at his reaction, her ash gray skin stretched to reveal more of her sharp teeth beneath her black lips. He quickly regained his composure, letting his eyes adjust to the living troll sitting right next to him.

_Geez, they're even freakier when they're alive and grinning at you._

His first observation was that it was female, or it at least looked female, and this did not help defend the belief that all women were man-eaters. A pair of horns, the same candy corn coloration as the victim's, except much smaller, conical and sharper adorned the top of her head. Her jet black hair was short and neat. She wore a light teal jacket with large bright red buttons with a matching pencil line skirt that hugged her rather curvy hips. A red walking cane with a dragon head rested by her side. Everything about her was sharp and angular, yet her gaze was the most unnerving thing of all, and he could only stare blankly into the lenses of her pointy red tinted glasses.

"Thankfully, they said you would wear that red coat or I might never have found you." She continued without hesitation. "You humans all look alike. I am Terezi Pyrope, Lead Legislacerator and I can only assume that you are Dave Strider..."she offered her hand, "Unless there are two people in this place with a coat that smells like delicious red apples." The troll offered a toothy grin,exposing more of her very pointed teeth, as Dave stared at her, not about to shake hands with something that looked like they would devour it. She leaned her head a bit closer towards him. "Does it speak?" He saw her black eyebrows rise above her glasses.

"Just contemplating how I should have worded my will." He began after a moment. "I feel like I'm staring Jaws in the face. You have more sharp angles then a gothic chandelier. Undercover troll, my ass! Seriously, we need some kid-proofing here or little Johnny's going to poke his eye out. I can't afford to get sued. Seriously, I don't even have insurance to cover an ambulance trip to the ER."

The troll leaned back, surprised from the tirade she had just received. "Wow, definitely not a mute, but I do not understand what you are saying. I did not think my jaw was that big and why would a child poke his eyes out? Is that normal when meeting new acquaintances? I will take that what you said about my "angles" as a compliment, however." Her continuous unnerving giggles made his hair stand on end. "Such a fine welcome for your new partner!" She placed a hand on her hip and smiled at him. Keeping her unwavering gaze planted on Dave, she lifted his sunglasses lightly with her cane. "Why do you cover your eyes in the darkness? Seems rather foolish... but also rather stylish. So mysterious and intriguing."

Dave felt his cool slipping again as he was uncomfortably aware of how close she'd leaned in, "Is it a Alternian custom to be so invasive of personal space?"

"What is that?" she grinned inching ever closer.

"You know, getting all up in my grill like it's fourth of July and you're a hungry family of seven waiting for burgers. Dad just nervously continues to flip, doesn't know when they're going to mutiny."

"Hehehehe. You continue to say the strangest things. I was not prepared for your strange dialect." She relaxed back into her seat turning her gaze away from him. "But I know I am going to enjoy working with you in more ways than one..."

He quickly changed the topic, "Let's get you to wherever you are staying while you are here."

"As much as I'd love for you to take me home with you, I want to visit the corpse," Pyrope stated matter of factly.

"Now?" he asked, ignoring the first part of her sentence.

"I'll get more done at night, when I am not so conspicuous around humans. I can settle in during the day. I want to visit the body. You may think this visit was for pleasure, but rest assured Mr. Strider I will assist you every step of the way."

Holding his tongue, Dave decided to go along with the troll without much complaint, reasoning that the sooner the troll looked around and collected information to give to her superiors, the sooner he could be rid of her and this case. He shrugged and stood up.

"Ok fine. Just tonight, then we'll have to work out some kind of schedule later. I'm a night owl, but a lot of people in services aren't. You're lucky I happened to have a key to the morgue."

The troll let out another laugh. "Why, I didn't know my new partner was so interested in the deceased. You have the most interesting hobbies."

Dave made to respond, but instead handed her the report he had received earlier, which she grasped with her long slender fingers.

"I'll debrief you on the case on the way. Also, you're going to have to wear this while you're up here." He took off his scarf and tossed it to the troll. "Tomorrow, we'll work on getting you some make-up or something and maybe a couple hats. Not saying you're ugly or anything, but let's just make life for the workers of ER easier by giving them less patients who have fucking heart attacks from seeing a grinning troll compare them to food products."

Terezi fumbled with the scarf and quickly brought it to her face giving it a deep sniff. Her exhale was full of content.

_What a goddamn creep._ Dave began to sweat.

She rubbed her face in it before settling it around her neck like he had around himself previously. "Such a beautiful gift, it feels so soft and warm around my neck, and it matches your coat!" she exclaimed happily.

"No, no, it's for your horns."

"Like this?" She missed the point entirely as she wrapped the scarf around her head between her horns. He grabbed the scarf and demonstrated with gestures that it was meant to go around her head like a headscarf doing several of his best vapid lady impressions in the meantime. She just laughed at him before he took the initiative and wrapped it adequately around her head to conceal her horns.

He shook his head as she began to mess with his handiwork. He decided it was time to leave and started to head to his car, leaving her to follow him. Behind him he heard the tap tap tap of a cane. Pausing to turn, Dave saw that the Legislacerator following him with ease, before she paused behind him. "Lead the way, Red Delicious," she said, her piercing gaze just slightly off centered.

"Just call me Strider," he said, exasperated. Then, with a sudden awareness, he realized what it was that made her look so startling.

"It's not polite to stare at a blind girl." She sniffed

"I wasn't staring," he said, continuing to stare.

"For the record, I'm not completely blind, and I won't be a liability."

"Okay, I wasn't asking." he said still staring.

"I have found ways to experience the sensory bouquet."

"Okay, I don't really understand what that means, but okay."

"I'll explain it to you when you're older, Mr. Strider," she chuckled.

"Whatever." He paused for a moment as he debated whether or not he should open the car door for her. "Where is your luggage?"

Without waiting for assistance, Pyrope fumbled with the door handle, revealing her first frown of the night. Dave walked over to her side, but she succeeded after a moment and her toothy grin re-appeared. Triumphantly, she took her place in the passenger seat of Dave's car. "Naturally, the travel-baggage was sent to the place I will be staying while I am here." She stated as she fidgeted in her seat. Dave thought back to the victim's lack of luggage. He was rudely brought to reality when she began playing with the buttons on the door, opening and closing every compartment in his car.

"Will you knock that off, I just finished off the payments. I don't want my ride becoming a junk heap of broken parts," Dave shut her door and sauntered over to the drivers side of the car. "Geez it's like talking to a child," he muttered under his breath. By the time he had put on his seatbelt, his partner had settled down, but had pressed her face against the glass window when he started the car. On the way to the morgue, he told her everything he had learned or observed about the dead troll. Terezi Pyrope remained surprisingly silent, listening to him throughout the entire car ride.


	4. More than it seems

Roughly four in the morning they arrived at the city morgue . Dave suppressed a yawn as he led Pyrope down the empty hall to where the bodies were kept. The moonlight cast an eerie glow through the frosted windows and their echoing footsteps further impacted the emptiness of the building. Dave found the tapping of the Legislator's cane comforting, in a strange hypnotic way. He paused only long enough to open the door for the troll before entering silently behind her. Rose had been kind enough to leave a note for Dave in the files, she had given him earlier, listing the location of the body for any future scrutiny.

Pyrope leaned her walking cane against the examination table and reached into her bag pulling out some latex gloves, and hastily put them on. Dave watched her carefully as she began her examination of the body. He had never seen someone place their head so close to a stiff. She began to run her long spindly fingers over nearly every bruise on the body, pausing in certain areas that she found interesting. She flinched when she brushed over his face and horns, a look of sadness washed over her face, a look Dave almost missed.

_I wonder how they mourn their own._

His mind drifted away as he leaned against the wall and watched herobscene display of examination.

_And here I thought having to work with a normal partner was bad enough, I get stuck spending a night in Corpseville with the devil herself looking like she's sniffing up a fat turkey during a Thanksgiving feast_. He suddenly felt a little sick at that thought, and tried to think of nicer things.

"You claimed there was no identification…" she began. "It's right here." She turned the victim's head and pointed to a part of his neck right below the ear, where a tattoo of the zodiac symbol taurus was located.

"Yah, it's a tattoo. One thing our people have in common."

"No, it's his identification." She pulled out a portable machine that looked like a scanner. She pressed a button when she held it over the tattoo, it emitted a beep.

"Geez, do all of you have tattoo identifications like barcodes on cereal boxes."

"Yes" she said as if it were the most normal thing in the world.

He noticed her neck was bare of tattoos. His curiosity was piqued. "So where's yours?"

"Wouldn't you like to know…?" She flashed him a devious look.

Dave felt uncomfortable for having asked such a question. "Well, what's his price-tag?"

The troll paused, reading the line of text the little scanner was flashing across the screen."His name is Tavros Nitram, a brown blood. He would be no one of consequence below. I have seen work like this before." She gestured to his fake limbs. "There are few trolls who possess such craftsmanship, I may be able to get into contact with the one who made him his prosthetics. If I can reach this troll, we may go and question them about possible clients later." She turned back to her work, commenting on the gashes and the discoloration of his skin.

She paused once and frowned, frustrated over something that he didn't understand. The confusion passed, and she returned to her work with no further comments.

Dave waited impatiently for the Legislacerator to finish. His patience waning he chipped in, "Look, all the reports indicate suicide. There was no struggle in the room. No evidence of another person living in the apartment. There were no marks or bruises which indicates that he must have jumped of his own accord. All I need you to do is agree with me and you can even catch the next train back to...wherever it is you come from."

Pyrope stopped her inspection and tilted her head in thought. "It is true, he did jump of his own accord, but it wasn't a suicide." She got closer to the troll's head and stuck out her tongue and gave it a quick lick.

Dave cringed, internally. _This was getting more disturbing by the minute_.

She pulled her head up, "No, this was something more. He was not himself when he fell, it was caused by something, or someone, else."

"You got all that by licking a dead body, did you?" He saw her eyebrows rise above her red glasses at his question.

"Of course! He carries the stench of murder," She stated in a matter of fact voiceher head held high.

Dave just stared at her blankly. "Wow, okay wonderful evidence we have here. The corpse stinks, that's what corpses do when they're rotting." Dave stifled another yawn. "Alright, I'm going to step outside let me know when you are done."

He left the body to the troll and checked his phone for any messages when he was outside the room. Rose had texted him:

TT: I hope you found the body upon your arrival. Please be sure that you put it back into cold storage. If you do not, I guarantee I will be less cooperative when you come crawling back to me for help.

TT: John also wishes for you to wear something nice. Apparently, the Green Cube is a higher end club and he does not wish to get kicked out or asked to leave due to inappropriate dress.

_I do not have time to deal with this shit._ Dave thought to himself leaning against a wall and shut his eyes. So much had happened and he now had the shittiest feeling that this case was far from over. _I just need rest my eyes for a second_.

Dave felt someone was looming over him. Dave opened his eyes to see Pyrope standing before him when felt a presence looming over him. His body twitched, and inwardly, he cursed himself for dropping his guard around her.

"Is it sleeping time for the human night owl?" Pyrope giggle as she nudged his side with her cane.

"I wasn't sleeping, just resting my eyes and thinking about the case. Take a chill pill and stop poking me with that cane. I don't know where it's been or how many dead bodies and orifices you've pried that into." Dave said, as he pushed Pyrope's cane away.

She cocked her head to the side as she returned her cane to her side. "If you are going to rest your eyes again then how will I grab your attention?"

"A simple 'Hey' would do, you know like a normal person."

"Hey?"

"Sup? See works like that. Keep working on that. You've passed lesson one, now we can go onto lesson two, how to not scare small animals and little children within a 5 foot radius."

"Okay okay. Such a smart-ass," She giggled. "So, I was checking the body..."

"And?" Dave interrupted not wanting to hear an in-depth explanation. "I hope you've come to a definitive conclusion." Dave questioned.

Pyrope gave him another toothy grin. "I am convinced that it was murder."

Gritting his teeth, Dave sighed heavily. "Murder. You base that off the smell of a corpse? Can't you just say it was a suicide and we can both can go back to our normal jobs. On our own turf?"

"No. Honestly, Mr. Strider, it is obvious to me that you yourself have doubts about what has happened here."

Dave stared at her for a moment, knowing deep down he'd be crooked detective if he denied her words. "Just when I thought I was going to have a life again. More things to lose sleep over..." He muttered under his breath.

"Speaking of sleep Mr. Strider. I do believe it is about time for your sun to be showing itself, so if you could drop me off at my accommodation…?"

"God, it's morning already." He said with a little drag in his voice. "What a lousy evening." He went back to the examination room to return the body to cold storage, as per Rose's request. Pyrope continued to watch him, creeping him out the entire time.

Back at his car, Dave once again opened the door to let Pyrope in without incident. He started the car and pulled out of the parking lot, before asking where she was staying. "Where are you staying?"

"Oh, yes." She rummaged in her bag and pulled out a piece of paper with large red font on it giving it a lick. "I will be staying at the Wayward Vagabond Hotel. Do you know where this place is? I was assured that it is a decent human habitat." Dave refocused on the road once she brought the paper to her face.

Dave looked exasperated. "I know exactly where it is, let's just say it's not out of my way."

Pyrope wrinkled her nose. She leaned close to him and sniffed his neck.

Dave's hair bristled and his body tensed up "What the fuck, cut that shit out!" He hissed through gritted teeth.

Pyrope sat back in her seat, a smirk playing on her lips. Dave decided to keep his eyes on the road and ignore the weird troll who sat beside him.

He drove as quickly as he could to the run-down hotel in the shady part of Dersetown. He felt a little sorry that she had to stay at such a crappy hotel. The streets were mostly empty, with some light traffic. A light drizzle had resumed, falling steadily.

Pyrope turned her attention to the window, once again pressing her face to the passengers side window like an excited puppy. "It smells so fresh. I have read about rain, I never thought it would smell like this." She paused and averted her gaze from the window, concentrating on the dials and knobs in the door of Dave's car. She rolled down the window causing rain to spray her head scarf and the rest of the passenger side of the car. Dave rolled up her window with the controls on his door and locked it after that. They passed through downtown, out of the nice neighborhoods and into the rougher side of town. Pyrope wrinkled her nose. "This area smells different than where we just were. It smells musty and dark, reminds me of home,"

As the light of dawn started to slowly creep over the city, he pulled sharply into the hotel's run down car park.

"Here we are, Wayward Vagabond Hotel." Dave thought it was one of the worse places someone could stay, but he wasn't going to say it.

Without waiting for Dave, Pyrope quickly tried to get out of his car. Dave watched, amused, as she fumbled with the car door. Finally getting the door open, she hastily made her way into the hotel, successfully getting through the swinging door. Sighing, he slowly left his car and followed the troll inside.

He found her standing in the middle of the lobby, gaping at the ceiling.

"The manager's desk is this way," Dave said as he approached her and caught her lightly by the elbow. Pyrope flinched at his touch, but continued in the direction Dave was pulling her. She didn't speak until he led her to the where she could get her key. As soon as they arrived at the counter Dave let go of Pyrope's elbow and returned his hand to his pocket. He then noticed that one of her horns was showing. "Holy shit, adjust your headwrap!"

Pyrope frowned as she fumbled with arranging the scarf on her head. "There! Do I look like the human girls in your world?" She did a rather good job of imitating his vapid girl imitation, falsetto and everything.

"Not even in the slightest," he said with a deadpan face holding in a smile.

He approached the front desk searching for someone who worked there, anxious that he was about to pass her off to someone else as their problem. He stopped in front of the main desk and rang the small bell that rested on his desk.

"The manager should be here shortly. Since you were given this address I assume he knows you are coming." With that, he turned on his heel and headed for the front door.

He was about halfway to the door before he heard hysterical screaming coming from behind him. He whirled around to see the man behind the counter armed with a baseball bat while his partner (god, he hated that word) cackled madly. Dave rushed back quickly, flashing the man his police badge in an effort to calm the crazed man down. He pushed Pyrope behind his back. Some words and more than enough money was exchanged before he ushered her out the door by the elbow.

"I don't even want to know what you did to cause that guy to go after you with a bat," he spat as he slammed the car door shut.

All Pyrope could do was offer a shrug and a meek smile. "It was quickly decided, Mr. Strider that his facilities were not suitable for my habitation."

At this hour, Dave didn't care what had happened, but he did care about where he was going to leave the Alternian for the day. Battling time as the sky continued to lightened, they were disappointed to see that all the other hotels in the immediate vicinity either had no vacancy or had shut down long ago. Dave was becoming more irritated at each no vacancy sign. He pondered what they were thinking, sending the most ill-equipped and unprepared troll in the universe to the surface. Even a little make-up or human acting school would have helped in a big way. He cast Pyrope a sidelong glance. _Ok, maybe a lot of make-up and acting school._ How in the world was he going to solve this case let alone even walk around town with this psychopath as his partner. His wallet wasn't big enough to silence every person who flipped out. Tired and defeated, he had no choice but to drive to Derseflats, his own apartment complex.

He kept his head down as he shuffled his new partner into the apartment complex. There was no one around and Dave breathed a sigh of relief when he finally got her to the elevator.

The elevator, of course, wasn't working as usual, so Dave carried Terezi Pyrope's heavy luggage up all six flights of stairs, to his apartment. His partner followed easily behind him with a smaller bag clutched tightly to her chest. He reluctantly unlocked the front door, steeling himself for the very unwelcomed invasion of his personal space, hoping that perhaps she'd maybe at least have some courtesy in the someone else's home. She stopped just short of his door, pointing and mouthing off some nonsense about his apartment number containing the "numeral of the prophets". He impatiently but gently pushed her into the room, noticing that her head wrap had slipped, again, exposing her horns to anyone who happened to be in the hallway. Luckily, his neighbors were late risers on a saturday morning. Turning back to the room after locking the door, Dave was stunned at the sight of a very alien looking girl quickly rummaging through his living room touching everything in reach. By the time Dave had recovered from his shock, he had to pry an expensive camera that she had picked up, out of her hands. But soon as he set one thing down, she'd picked up another, a chain reaction that resulted in them toppling the stack of empty apple juice cartons and shattering the gathered whiskey bottles off the nearby table.

"Now just hold up. I wasn't expecting to accommodate the ambassador of Snooptown. Geez, are you always like this?"

"Your place feels like it's been ransacked and smells like a disaster."

"Let me rephrase that: do you wanna sleep in the street?"

"A cardboard box would have been more hospitable."

"Well, if you hadn't freaked out the manger… Just sit here on the couch. Give me a minute. And for the love of all things sacred, don't touch anything."

Dave quickly picked up the clutter in his living room and either shoved it in his hall closet closet, already overpacked with various things he'd collected over the years, or threw it into his room. A small stuffed orange man, one of the smuppets his brother had given to him, fell out and landed by Pyrope's feet. She picked up the plushie curiously to examine it, giving it a good squeeze.

"Give me that."

"What is it?"

"It's none of your business is what it is."

"Boorrring." she quickly tossed the puppet at Dave causing him to fumble with it for a moment.

Looking up after putting the puppet back in its place he cringed as he saw the troll staring at the katana that was display on the mantle. He had a sickening image of her skewering him in his sleep when she suddenly turned away from the sword, without touching it, and back to her bags.

Shaking his head, he went back to his bedroom to find some blankets and a spare pillow in his closet, and dumped them unceremoniously by her side when he found them. "Bathroom's over there, grab whatever you want from the kitchen if you're hungry, ask me if you need anything, and stop going into my stuff."

Dave retreated into his bedroom, nearly collapsed face first onto his bed. He wished that this was all some sick joke. The situation was getting progressively worse: first the weird case, then being assigned a partner, only to find out it was weird troll girl partner, and now having to share _**his**_ living quarters with her. Exhausted, frustrated, and worst of all, being pushed to his breaking point, more than he'd ever imagined, he stared at the pillow in a daze. The pillow offered no advice. Maybe the shower would be a better talker. He peeked into the living room and saw the troll was bent over her suitcase. He decided that a shower might not be such a great idea. Last thing he wanted was to be found dead, naked, partly devoured in a compromised position due to a mysterious troll attack. But then, goddammit, this was his place he would not be a prisoner in his own room.

Making sure he locked his bathroom door, he threw his shirt in the hamper and hung up the rest of his clothes. Placing his sunglasses at the edge of the bathroom counter he jumped in the shower, trying to scrub off this entire night. Once done, he stepped out and had pulled on this pajama bottoms when he heard a loud crash from the living room.

He tentatively pushed open the door of his living room. The entire place was dark yet he felt like he was being watched. He could not see her, but wanted to assume that she was asleep and that crash was just her settling in with her "things". He turned back around and shut the door to his room. relaxing his tense shoulders he turned towards his bed.

Pyrope's toothy grin greeted him inches from his face. "HOLY SHIT! What the hell are doing?" Dave felt he must have jumped several feet in the air.

"You smell very nice." She took a step toward him her head cocked to the side.

Dave was just about to retort when he brought his hand to his face. He then realized a very important accessory was missing from his face. He reached for another pair at the top of the nearby dresser.

"Oh, you remembered your dark glasses," she voiced with disappointment. "One day Strider, I will know all your delicious secrets!"

"What's your fuckin' deal?" Dave glared at her, but his icy stare did nothing to phase the blind troll. "What are you doing in my bedroom?"

"Well there was this murder.." Pyrope started as she gracefully sat on his bed.

"In this room! Why are YOU in MY room" he said through gritted teeth not bothering to control his temper.

"I thought that would be obvious to a detective, wouldn't you have thought, roomie." Terezi pulled the scarf that was wrapped around her head. "I came to give you your scarf back, even though it smells like delicious red apples." She reluctantly handed him the scarf, and turned her head as if surveying his bedroom. "Although, there are many tantalizing scents here as well."

"Damn it. No. That's it, I'm done. Just get out of here." Dave was too tired to argue anymore. This had been too long of a night and his brain had just shut down. "I need to sleep. We will deal with this in the..." he paused glaring at a nearby clock, "later." He pushed her out of his bedroom and shut the door, making sure to locked it tight and put a chair in the handle for extra precaution. He could still see her grin burned into the backs of his eyelids as he attempted to go to sleep.


End file.
